The big release of The Forze VIII

I am convinced that we can say that these last months have been the craziest months of our year thus far. Each and every member of the team has given their all, and we have seen what an incredible result we could deliver as a team. It was hard work but in the end it was all worth it, especially with the release of our new car: The Forze VIII at the Nürburgring!

The event was covered by several major media outlets and was attended by the enthusiastic Nürburgring crowd. Camera crews, fans, and the team surrounded the car during the reveal ceremony. Here is some insight into the work that went into this landmark day!

The production

Not everything was pomp and circumstance when it came to preparations for the the release day… To have the car ready by the 12th of May would already put us far ahead of our productions schedule, but the potential exposure we would gain from having the car ready for the Nürburgring display would be worth the extra effort. The main obstacle was the bodywork, as each panel required many man hours of sanding, smoothing, filling and re sanding, with members from every division of the team pitching in to help out. There was no shortcut, the work needed to be done. In true team spirit, even the acquisition manager and team manager got their hands dirty laminating and sanding the body panels!

As the saying goes “too many cooks spoil the soup” and having more than 20 people working on the car simultaneously was not very efficient. There simply was not enough space on the vehicle to give everyone their own room to operate and get their task done. Because of this, a week before the reveal, we decided to do night shifts to make the deadline. The manpower was distributed and our work output was improved. Although this was a drastic measure, it paid off thanks to the effort of the team, and we made the deadline. On Wednesday we worked for 24 hours straight finalizing the car and wrapping it in its new livery. The moment the car was wrapped, it was loaded into its trailer and sent to Germany.

The Reveal

The team could not have hoped for a better reveal. To have Forze’s flagship car displayed at a track with such a prominent racing history, as the Nürburgring, was an honor. Also, to have the Forze VIII, a car whose chassis has roots in LMP-class racing present at a major 24 Hr race was a pleasant coincidence. The car received a of attention, from the press but also from the public. Our hydrogen racer now looks fast in its new body work and bright pink wrap. To get a view of the car at the Nürburgring, see our time-lapse of the display below!

New main sponsor

But why the colour pink? Pink is not exactly the most obvious choice for a race car… Considering our new main sponsor, however, the choice becomes more clear. BWT (Best Water Technology) will be joining us this year as head sponsor, and we are excited for the new opportunities this opens for us!

24h Nürburgring 2018 – Foto: Gruppe C Photography

After more than two years of successful collaboration with PitPoint clean fuels as main sponsor, it is time for the team to grow further, which will be enabled by partnering with BWT. PitPoint will remain closely involved with the team as sponsor to support this growth further. We would like to extend our thanks to the Pitpoint team which has helped us immensely to get this far. Without them this technological adventure would not be possible.

Coming Months

Now that the bodywork is done we can almost begin testing. Next week we are doing the first dyno tests, which means that track testing is just around the corner! The first track day is scheduled for June 11th, so stay tuned to our social media channels for updates and more information. Seeing the FORZE VIII set down its first laps will be an emotional moment for all, the confirmation that countless days and nights have begun to pay off!

About Forze

Dreamteam Forze was called to life in 2007 to bring a positive contribution to the sustainability of the mobility industry. With 50 passionate and talented students from Delft University of Technology, Forze built the first hydrogen electric race car in the world. The goal of this dreamteam is to promote the use of hydrogen technology in racing. During the eleven years that Forze exists, they have built eight cars and achieved multiple great things with these cars like building the fastest hydrogen race car ever.